The newly-established Khalifa University of Science and Technology combines the Masdar Institute
of Science and Technology (MI), Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research
(KUSTAR), and the Petroleum Institute (PI) into one world-class, research-intensive institution,
seamlessly integrating research and education to produce world leaders and critical thinkers in
applied science and engineering.

The Masdar Institute of Science Technology and Petroleum Institute remain as research institutes
at Khalifa University, playing a critical role in the research structure and culture of the university
and serving as interdisciplinary research units focused on long-term strategic priorities.

Research is at the core of KU, as we know research has the power to transform industry, society
and regions KU’s research-focused academics seek to achieve global impact through excellence
in research domains of regional importance.

Prior to joining Khalifa University in 2012, Dr. Bennell served as Professor of Mathematics at Zayed University (UAE), Professor of Mathematics at the Virginia Military Institute (USA), and Lecturer in Mathematics, Statistics & Operational Research at Cranfield University (UK).

Dr Bennell’s research focuses on the application of cubic splines and orthogonal polynomials as the basis functions for approximation methods and algorithms for solving practical data fitting problems.

Dr Bennell was the recipient of the VMI Distinguished Teaching Award at the Virginia Military Institute in 2001 and the Dean’s Teaching Award (College of Arts & Sciences) at Zayed University in 2009. He received the Wilbur S. Hinman Jr. ’26 Research Award at the Virginia Military Institute for advising and development of undergraduate research projects in 2003 and 2005.